New Orleans Chef Nathanial Zimet is facing another medical scare after being shot in a recent armed robbery.

"Nathanial is progressing,” said David Zimet, Nathanial’s father. “He, unfortunately, started suffering from a blood infection."

David Zimet, speaking exclusively to FOX 8, says he and Nathanial were told by doctors on Saturday that they received the test results needed to soon treat the infection. It’s a piece of good news, David Zimet says, in the wake of so much bad.

The ordeal has been "hell," he says with tears in his eyes.

“I just thank God he’s alive."

It was Sunday, May 22, when Nathanial left his Carrolton area restaurant, Boucherie, after a late night of working. He pulled up to his Uptown home at about 2am when, police say, he was approached by a man demanding money. Nathanial was still sitting in his car when he was shot 3 times, according to his father.

"Once in the…left arm, once in the abdomen, and once in the sternum,” said David Zimet.

Betty Williams lives just across the street from Nathanial, and remembers hearing the eerie sounds of that night from her bedroom window.

"I heard him screaming and i heard the shots / and then me and my husband and i come out on the porch

Another neighbor ran outside, too, discovering Nathanial slumped against the steering wheel.

Nearly two weeks now since the shooting, the New Orleans Police Department hasn’t made any arrests, nor has it identified any suspects, leaving some neighbors on edge.

"It makes me feel unsafe,” said Lionell Daggs, who lives a few houses down from Nathanial Zimet.

For Nathanial Zimet’s loved ones, fear and frustration come secondary to concerns over the chef’s recovery.

"He has been up and walking a few times a day and is talking and definitely coherent."

Nathanial’s father, however, says it could be months before his son is well enough to get back into the kitchen.

“He should be out working again in September, in limited hours,” he says.

Meanwhile, Nathanial’s medical bills continue to mount since the chef is uninsured. His close friend, Mia Freiberger-Deviller, is now planning benefit.

"We’ve got some pretty amazing auction items that are going to be offered, and then an amazing line up of restaurants around town that are coming out to support Nathanial,” she said.

Deviller owns Le Petit Grocery on Magazine Street, one of the many restaurants slated to cook for a cause at the July 10th fundraiser at the Howlin’ Wolf, 907 South Peters Street, New orleans.  Other participating restaurants include Three Muses, Patois, Lilette, Crescent Pie and Sausage Company, and Rambla.

It’s a benefit that aims to get a well-liked chef back in the kitchen so he can once again contribute his flavor to the true taste of New Orleans.

For event information, ticket prices, and to learn how to purchase a ticket, click here for the Nathanial Zimet Benefit website.

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New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, May 31, the New Orleans Saints administrative staff received a tour and sneak peek of the club’s home, the Louisiana Superdome, as an $85 million enhancement and renovation project starts to reach its conclusion by the end of June and in time for the 2011 season.

As soon as the New Orleans Saints concluded their 2010 season and the AllState Sugar Bowl was played in early January, construction crews began tearing out seats on the lower levels and beginning the renovation process.

The most extensive part of this process is a complete reconfiguring of the East and West Side Plaza area of the stadium into a more rectangular design moving away from the prior oval setup that existed since its opening in 1975. In this lower level area, sight lines and views have been significantly improved and approximately 3,400 new seats have been added to the stadium, which are made of leather and have cupholders. The plaza sideline seats will be ten feet closer to the playing field. Another part of the plaza level renovations include the addition of a “party deck” area for patrons located at the North Gate A end zone.

As a result of changes to the seating configuration, advantage can also now be taken of the areas below the seats on the ground level of the stadium. Private entry from the parking garages will now be available with direct access to these plaza seating areas. In addition, two premium ground level club lounges on the east and west sides of the stadium will also open to entertain fans and enhance their gameday experience. Each premium lounge will be over 7,500 square feet, featuring state of the art furnishings, televisions and full-service bars to be able to accommodate and entertain 4,500 fans.

In order to meet the tight deadlines for these changes, the former plaza seats were removed in January, the electrical and plumbing system were then installed in the ground level. Following that, a new slab foundation for the plaza level was installed above the bunker areas.

With the reconfiguration, the newly extended plaza concourses have been widened from 18 feet to over 60 feet. This widening will allow additional restrooms and concession areas to be installed in addition to other amenities, giving fans more extensive choices in food, drink and merchandise in their gameday experience. All the concession areas on this level for the 2011 season will be brand new and completely reconstructed, providing fans with expanded food and beverage options. The number of restrooms on this level have been doubled as well.

Fans were able to enjoy the first phase of this project during the 2010 season, as the press box was relocated from the 300 level of the stadium and reconstructed above the 600 level. In its place 16 new suites were constructed.

In addition to the interior improvements, external enchantments are also taking place at Champions Square, outside the Superdome, as construction crews look to create an elite outdoor entertainment area for fans. After enjoying a successful opening in 2010, a permanent grand staircase is now being installed leading up to the Superdome. The center portion of the grand staircase will provide an area for fans to sit and enjoy food and drink with a view of entertainment on the main stage.

All of these projects were a part of an agreement that the club reached with the State of Louisiana to extend the club’s lease in the Superdome through 2025. The combined investment by Saints Owner Tom Benson and the State have modernized and revitalized the Superdome itself and the surrounding area, promising to improve and enhance the fan experience at all events in the stadium, while keeping it competitive with other facilities across the country.

View the full photo gallery here.

Butte Larose, St. Martin Parish—Many people from the town of Butte LaRose are using the Memorial Day holiday to unpack. A mandatory evacuation has been partially lifted affecting dozens of families, and people there are grateful predictions of massive flooding did not come true.

"Greatly relieved, actually I’m glad they forecast the flood worse than it was, so everybody was prepared for it,” said Butte Larose Resident, Anthony Ardoin.

Officials there believe the river is not done rising, but the protracted drought which had the ground soaking up a lot of the extra water from the fallout of opening the Morganza Spillway, helped to avert a catastrophe.

"At this point we’re going to get a slow rise over the next couple of days, but it’s definitely not what we expected,” said Major Ginny Higgins, spokesman for the Saint Martin Sheriff’s Office.

Sure, backwater flooding has crept within inches of some Butte Larose properties, but residents like Anthony Ardoin said given what was predicted to happen in this flood vulnerable area, there is not much to complain about.

At least they can drive to their homes.

“We came out here yesterday by water to check it out,” said Ardoin.

Residents admit it was frustrating waiting and watching, not knowing exactly how much water would arrive.

“I know it’s been excruciating for the folks that live here because there was a lot of decision making of whether to leave, whether to stay, whether to take their things,” stated Major Higgins.

"I think they did a real good job controlling the water,” Ardoin added.

Partially lifting the mandatory evacuation order is a huge step forward for the community of less than 700 people.

"We’re asking that they just be cautious of the snakes that might be out here, any other kind of red ants, there’s a lot of red ants, any other kind of wildlife that may be on their properties at this point,” said Major Higgins.

A road block kept our cameras from seeing street flooding beyond it.

"From Dick Davis Park to the pontoon bridge that’s not opened because of there is water across the roadways,” said Higgins.

But just having the ok to return to Butte Larose means to world to most.

“We love the water and the quiet,” said Ardoin.

ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — A former church youth minister has been indicted on 13 charges of sex crimes with juveniles, including two charges of aggravated rape of victims younger than 13 years old.

On Thursday, a Rapides Parish grand jury found there was enough evidence to charge the 28-year-old Angelo Golatt, who was arrested March 29.

The indictment says one of the victims was 9 or 10 years old at the time of an alleged offense in 2003, and was reportedly attacked again at age 13 in 2006.

The Town Talk reports the district attorney’s office has not released the gender of the alleged victims.

Golatt was youth minister at the now-closed Donahue Family Baptist Church in Pineville during much of the four- to five-year span.

©2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

New Orleans- For eleven years, Detective Ryan Aucoin has fought crime on the streets. He says dealing with repeat offenders isn’t just frustrating, it’s all too common.

Deloyd Jones is one repeat offender who spent years in and out of both juvenile and adult criminal justice system.

“It’s not a success story. It’s a very sad tale,” says Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro.

Jones was just 15 years old when he broke out of the Youth Study Center. Facing weapons charges, he was considered armed and dangerous.

According to records at FOX 8, law enforcement never captured him for the escape.

In September 2009, police say Jones shot a man in the middle of the night on North Roman Street.

Later that day, NOPD used something called a ‘bait car’ to catch car thieves. Detectives say Jones and another man stole one.

With a video camera rolling inside the car, the two men started passing guns, seemingly proud.

When the car stalled and the doors locked by remote control, NOPD officers swooped in.

Jones was booked with aggravated battery by shooting in the North Roman incident, along with illegal use of a weapon, felony theft, and possession of stolen property.

The next day at Criminal Court, Judge Laurie White set Jones’ bond at $175,000. The D.A.’s office accepted only two of the charges, possession of stolen property and illegal use of a weapon during a crime.

“The discharge of the firearm would have been during the aggravated battery. Normally you’re not going to take both of those cases," Cannizzaro said. "You would take the case that you believe is best where we have the best evidence. He’s also charged with possession of stolen property and the theft of the auto. The law says you cannot convict him on both of those charges.”

After the district attorney’s office only accepted two charges in December 2009, Judge White reduced Jones’ bond to $30,000.

He remained in jail only three months. Then in February of 2010, his bond was dropped again. This time it was set to $16,500. Jones was able to get out on that lower bond.

It is unclear exactly how the bond dropped from $30,000 to $16,500 since Judge White insisted she did not reduce his bond.

When Jones stood trial for the charges against him, he pleaded guilty to both. Judge White gave him a five-year suspended sentence, which means no jail time.

“The judge did sort of give him an opportunity, give him a break to turn himself around. I mean he was only 17 years old and he’s in front of the judge pleading guilty,”  Cannizzaro said.

Only days after getting out of jail, Jones is accused of a shooting spree in the 9^th Ward.

“He’s running through a neighborhood, literally running through a neighborhood and attempting to gun someone down and in his effort to do that, he’s placing bullets in five separate houses in one city block within Orleans Parish. It’s only a miracle that no one was murdered on that particular afternoon,” Cannizzaro said.

Police say Jones’ intended target, a man, was found shot just around the corner. In the hail of gunfire, a 76 year-old woman was also injured.

In March 2010, Jones was arrested and booked with attempted murder, aggravated battery, aggravated criminal damage to property, illegal use of a weapon and illegally carrying a weapon.

Judge White then set Jones’ bond at $550,000. Cannizzaro refused the charge because he says a witness would not cooperate. Jones was released from prison.

“It was a case, I’ll be honest with you, when I learned that this charge was refused, I was disturbed by this and I looked at the case myself and I talked to the person that was responsible for reviewing the case. He came and he told me, the witness didn’t see anything. The witness, who was the subject of this shooting, was unwilling to say that Deloyd Jones was responsible for this,” Cannizzaro said.

Jones got out of jail in November 2010. 

On January 6^th of this year, detectives say he committed a double shooting on Spain Street. 11 days later, he was accused of murder.

“January 17^th, there was a murder that happened at 2842 Urquhart Street, where one person was killed and there was attempts where several other individuals were shot at. Mr. Jones was developed as a suspect in that homicide,” Aucoin said.

For the second time, Aucoin says Jones became one of the city’s most wanted men. The NOPD worked in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals to locate him.

Then on February 15^th, there was a break in the case.

U.S. Marshals spotted Jones in a car on the interstate in New Orleans East.

“They attempted to pull him over and the occupants in the car refused to pull over," Aucoin said. "They went all the way to Franklin and Sage streets when they crashed.” 

After crashing into a light pole, Jones and the others fled on foot into the neighborhood and a massive manhunt began.

In the middle of the night, Jones was found hiding in a Sage Street home’s backyard. Jones was booked with first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Cannizzaro is hoping this time Jones will stay in prison.

“You could understand why people will lose confidence in our criminal justice system. You could see that Deloyd Jones did not start his criminal career with violent acts. There is an opportunity that we have to prevent the Deloyd Jones from turning into these very violent criminals,” Cannizzaro said.

That is why Cannizzaro believes it is important to take every opportunity possible to prevent a potentially violent offender from becoming a repeat offender. Cannizzaro says the public may not realize the role they play in stopping crime.

“We can’t do anything and our hands are tied. The violent offenders are winning. The violent criminals are winning as long as the people of this community refuse to come forward. They have to give us a chance.” says Cannizzaro.

The D.A.’s office is reviewing the latest charges against Jones. He has not been indicted yet for the murder of the two counts of attempted murder against him.

But, remember the case where the D.A. said the witness would not cooperate? In that case, they have since talked to the witness and has agreed to come forward. So, Deloyd Jones has been indicted for that attempted murder.

 

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says a Harvey man was gunned down near his home Saturday night.

Neighbors started calling in reports of gunshots near the 3800 block of Dulaney Drive just before 7:30 p.m.

Detectives identify the victim as 26-year-old Brian Stephen. 

They tell FOX 8 Stephen was standing outside of a Land Rover, talking to another man, when two males drove past in a gray or silver Nissan.

Witnesses say the car stopped a short distance away; the suspects walked up to Stephen and the other man and opened fire, striking Stephen in the head and back.

Detectives recovered several spent 9mm and .40 caliber shell casings from the area.

The driver of the Land Rover told detectives that as he pulled away, Stephen jumped in through the rear door.

He brought Stephen to Meadowcrest Hospital, where he later died.

If you have any information that can help solve this case, call Crimestoppers at 822-1111.

 

New Orleans – As FOX 8 first reported earlier this month, the city of New Orleans has increased the number of 911 call takers.

The Landrieu Administration hired an additional 11employees to handle emergency calls.

FOX 8 reports detailed how some callers were left waiting almost 10 minutes.

Now, with 44 call takers on staff and more employees working during what’s considered peak hours, the city says calls are being answered within 20 seconds.

The call center fell below national standards for answering emergency calls from late 2010 through early May 2011.

"Any incoming emergency call that is not answered quickly is unacceptable," said Mayor Landrieu. "We want to hold ourselves to the highest standards. Upon learning about what was going on, we convened all parties involved, and our team has made changes swiftly to ensure that we can exceed national standards."

Now that the Morganza Spillway is open to relieve the swollen Mississippi River, backwater flooding from the Atchafalaya River Basin could reach the Western edge of Terrebonne Parish as early as Friday.  Parish leaders told FOX 8 Sunday, an aggressive project is underway to build a mile of levees before the end of the week in hopes of protecting more than 1,000 people and 2,000 structures.

The fight against a potential flood was well underway Sunday as hundreds filled sandbags at locations all across the parish.  "We don’t really know what we’re going to get, but everybody is kind of freaked out," said Richard Rhodes.  Many homeowners along Bayou Black in Gibson have started to build their own walls of sandbags around their homes.  "We’ve been doing this since Monday," said one man.

Homes and schools aren’t all they’re hoping to save.  Sandbags surrounded a gravesite in Gibson, and several sandbags were stacked on top of vaults to keep them from being moved by floodwaters.  

"The worst-case scenario is that we get more than five to seven feet," said Terrebonne Parish Councilwoman Arlanda Williams, who represents District 2, which includes low-lying areas. Williams told FOX 8 she’s hopeful there won’t be a worst-case scenario thanks to a joint effort by the parish and levee district that could put the brakes on backwater flooding from the Atchafalaya River Basin.

"We are basically building a levee where there is nothing there yet right now," said Angela Rains with the Terrebonne Parish Levee District.

Work crews started hauling dirt Sunday morning, and by 5 p.m. had already constructed 300 feet of a brand new five foot levee they plan that in the next few days will extend one mile, protecting Chacahoula, Donner and Gibson from the Intracoastal Waterway.

"We’re in a position where we’re saying, we’re ready.  We’re going to do anything possible we can do to stop this backwater flooding and to stop homes from flooding," said Williams.

The new and beefed up levee system means a greater sense of security, yet people are packing up valuables just in case.  After watching the historic opening of the Morganza Spillway, Reynold Dupre said, "the water was coming out of there!  A lot of that’s going to be pushing here."

People aren’t taking any chances, and they’re building their own walls of protection.  "At least two and a half feet.  I’m trying," said Wayne Lewis.  Lewis said he’s never flooded before and is anxious to see what happens in the coming days.

Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said he’s hopeful a separate barge project in nearby St. Mary Parish to close off Bayou Chene will send floodwaters across the marsh instead of into low-lying communities such as Western Terrebonne. 

New Orleans – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a map that illustrates what residents in the path of flood waters can expect over the next week.

Six hours after the Morganza floodway is opened, water will reach Melville near the Atchafalaya River.  Six hours after that, water will move through Krotz Springs and across Hwy. 190.  By the end of the day, the water will reach areas near I-10 on the west side of Baton Rouge, covering a path roughly five miles wide

At the 72 hour mark, the water will be closing in on Morgan City, covering an area from Patterson to Schriever.

Eight days after the floodway is opened, the water will reach areas near Cutoff, Larose, Chauvin and Dulac.

Just because a community is in the path of the water does not mean there will be catastrophic flooding.

Stay with FOX 8 for the latest on the rising river.

Click here for a larger graphic.